Dr. Zhen Xu Receives Multiple Honors for Pioneering Work in Non-Invasive Cancer Treatment

Zhen Xu, Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Radiology, and Neurosurgery, has been recognized with several major honors in acknowledgment of her groundbreaking work in histotripsy, a non-invasive cancer treatment.

Over the past week, Dr. Xu has been named a 2024 Fellow by the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and a Fellow by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), underscoring her significant contributions to technology and patient care. On December 5, the Regents of the University of Michigan officially approved the awarding of an endowed professorship, naming Dr. Xu as the Li Ka Shing Professor in Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, effective December 1, 2024 through November 30, 2029.

The professorship is endowed by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, with the intent to support discoveries in biomedical engineering that can be translated to the benefit of humanity into the future. It is the donor’s preference, but not requirement that at its inception, the incumbent’ s primary research interests are in the area of non-invasive and non-thermal ablation techniques, such as histotripsy, used in the treatment of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological diseases.

The 2024 NAI Fellows Selection Committee and Board of Directors have selected Dr. Xu as an NAI Fellow, highlighting her impactful innovations that have advanced economic development and societal welfare. This distinguished recognition is extended to a select group of globally-recognized leaders who have demonstrated a prolific spirit of innovation through their outstanding inventions. Dr. Xu and her fellow honorees will be formally inducted at the 14th NAI Annual Conference, set for June 23-26, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia.

In addition to this accolade, the IEEE has also named Dr. Xu a Fellow for her pioneering development and clinical translation of non-invasive mechanical ultrasound ablation technology. The title of IEEE Fellow is reserved for fewer than 0.1 percent of IEEE voting members each year, reaffirming the influential nature of Dr. Xu’s work.

“I am excited and honored to be elected by both organizations as a fellow,” Dr. Xu commented. “This is certainly great recognition for the invention and translational work that my team and I have been doing. Seeing all of the patients benefiting from histotripsy has been incredibly rewarding.”

Dr. Xu’s work, particularly in the development of histotripsy, a non-invasive, non-ionizing, and non-thermal ablation technology, has been transformative. “Histotripsy is the first technology of its kind,” she noted. “Its non-invasive nature, high precision, real-time image guidance, and tissue selectivity mean that critical structures such as nerves, large vessels, and bile ducts can be preserved while destroying the target tumor, resulting in minimal pain and a faster recovery for the patients,” she added. This innovative approach was approved by the FDA for non-invasive treatment of liver tumors in October 2023. It is revolutionizing liver tumor treatment and is poised to extend benefits to other locations in the body, including kidney and pancreatic tumors.

Histotripsy uses pulsed sound waves externally delivered to induce “bubble clouds” from gases naturally present in targeted tissue. These bubble clouds form and collapse in microseconds, creating mechanical forces strong enough to destroy tissue at cellular and sub-cellular levels in a non-invasive and non-thermal method.

Dr. Xu emphasized that the remarkable progress of histotripsy would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of her team and the foundational work of Dr. Charles Cain. Dr. Cain, a professor of Biomedical Engineering who passed away in 2020 from prostate cancer, pioneered the development of histotripsy at U-M in 2003. “Charles served as a mentor to many, including myself and (Research Scientist, Biomedical Engineering) Tim Hall, and his early contributions were crucial,” Dr. Xu said. “It is poignant and saddening that he did not live to see the technology successfully treat patients or potentially his own illness, but he would have been proud of our team’s success,” she reflected.

“I’m thrilled to see Professor Xu recognized by these renowned organizations,” said Karen A. Thole, Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering and Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering. “NAI celebrates the vital role that university-based inventors play in U.S. innovation and IEEE supports technologies that advance humanity. Professor Xu and her research exemplify both.”

“Professor Zhen Xu’s visionary work in the field of histotripsy has been truly groundbreaking, and BME is extremely proud of her achievements,” said Mary-Ann Mycek, William and Valerie Hall Department Chair, and Professor, Biomedical Engineering. “These honors reflect both the excellence and impact of Professor Xu’s research, as well as the potential of histotripsy to significantly improve patients’ lives worldwide. BME is grateful to the Li Ka Shing Foundation for its ongoing commitment to our department and the generous support it has provided over the years. We appreciate our collaborative relationship, which has supported our mission to provide leadership in BME education and to solve complex challenges at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and the life sciences.”

Dr. Xu also acknowledged the contributions of histotripsy co-inventors and developed, including Dr. Tim Hall, Dr. Jonathan Sukovich, Associate Research Scientist, BME, Dr. Brian Fowlkes, Professor, Radiology, and Dr. William Woodruff Roberts, Professor, Urology; as well as clinical collaborators such as Dr. Mishal Mendiratta-Lala, Clinical Professor, Radiology, and Dr. Cliff Cho, Chief Medical Officer, U-M Health West, who have been key in advancing clinical trials such as the #Hope4Liver Trial, and Dr. Aditya Pandey, Professor and Chair of Neurosurgery, who has been leading the histotripsy development for the brain. “The work we do is supported by an extensive clinical community instrumental in moving this forward,” Dr. Xu said. “I want to recognize the contributions of all the clinicians who treat patients with this process.”

Dr. Xu highlighted the importance that HistoSonics, led by company President and CEO Mike Blue, has played in translating the research team’s work into reality for patients through The Edison® System, a platform that delivers pulsed sound energy into the body, without any incisions or needles, and has the ability to destroy tumors at the sub-cellular level, all while the treating physician continuously monitors the “bubble cloud” and treatment effect in real-time. Over 700 patients with liver tumors have been treated by the Edison System. Most patients experience no pain and return to normal activities within one day of treatment.

“I am thrilled to see the global recognition for Zhen’s pioneering contributions,” Blue said. “She has dedicated her scientific and engineering career to help realize the translation of the innovation of histotripsy into the clinic and to address some of the most technically challenging targets and those with the greatest unmet clinical needs. I am also confident that these recent awards and recognition are just the first of many more to come.”

Histotripsy has made significant strides, with promising results in clinical trials for liver and kidney tumors and the impending start this month of a pancreatic tumor trial in Barcelona, Spain. “Our goal is to continue expanding and optimizing histotripsy for various types of tumors,” Dr. Xu said. “We are working toward personalized therapy that not only targets local tumors, but also maximizes the immune response, with potential abscopal effects observed across different tumor sites.”

Dr. Xu expressed optimism about the future of histotripsy, noting ongoing research and the promise of combining histotripsy with immunotherapy to further enhance treatment outcomes. She highlighted the successful use of histotripsy in clinical settings globally, including recent examples in Hong Kong, where high-risk liver tumors have been treated with great results. Another aspect of liver treatment that has benefitted from histotripsy is the downgrading of the disease for patients needing liver transplant but are not suitable candidates due to the size and number of tumor nodules in the liver. Histotripsy is now recommended by UNOS to non-invasively reduce the tumor number and size without damaging the liver to make these patients eligible for liver transplant.

“The global recognitions from the NAI, IEEE and others validate the collaborative efforts and the positive impact our technology has had on patients’ lives,” she said, underscoring the team’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in cancer treatment.

This video profiles several testimonials from patients who have successfully received histotripsy treatment:

Disclosure: U-M retains a financial interest in HistoSonics, as do a number of researchers who were involved in this project and who helped develop the technology licensed to HistoSonics. Each stands to benefit financially from the success of the platform. The company was formed with support from Innovation Partnerships, U-M’s central hub for research commercialization.